Proficiency-Based Learning

The Great Schools Partnership created the Proficiency-Based Learning Simplified website to help schools develop efficient standards-based systems that will prepare all students for success in the colleges, careers, and communities of the 21st century. For this reason, the Great Schools Partnership (GSP) model is focused on prioritizing and assessing the most vitally important knowledge and skills, while also balancing these high academic expectations with the need for flexibility, responsiveness, and creativity in the classroom.

We know that learning standards are powerful instructional assets that can bring focus and coherenceto an academic program. But we also recognize that standards are sometimes translated into burdensome instructional checklists that can stifle instructional flexibility and limit learning options. In the GSP model, standards are not checklists but prioritized learning goals that help schools and teachers design more effective academic programs and learning experiences that will meet the distinct needs of each student.

Throughout the proficiency-based learning website, school leaders and teachers will find detailed guidance on developing a proficiency-based system. The guidance is concise and practical, focusing only on the most essential policies, processes, and practices.